Lucky.
What a word to associate with himself.
For soldiers and warriors and guardians, those must fight, luck means nothing. No matter how chaotic the tides of battle may turn, Zhong survived through his skills – leadership, combat, strategy – and now here he is having a sparse lunch with Shen's soothsayer/glorified nanny beside a river in the middle of scenic nowhere after suffering getting stabbed right in the chest and drifting in the harbor for gods knew how long.
So yeah, no big. Definitely not lucky.
Just pitied. Ugh.
Smells fill his nose and draw it in the Soothsayer's direction, allowing him to see the bowl and chopsticks being offered to him. Rice and cooked sorghum with a side of soybean: not the worst meal he's seen. He accepted the bowl yet rejected the spoon and dug in. The old woman, he noticed, had a bowl of her own anyway so best to let her have the utensils to herself he figured. That and keep the slurping noises to a minimum. Hey, he still had respect for his elders.
The next few minutes passed in silence as wolf and goat ate.
"So?" the Soothsayer spoke up after seeming eternity.
"So what?" Zhong blankly asked in between bites.
"Would you be willing to accompany me on my duties?"
Good question, bad timing. Zhong near-about choked on a helping of rice and beat a fist against his chest.
"Listen, lady, I'm not looking to be an assistant and no offense, but you don't seem like the type to be carrying a whole ton of money on your person, so thanks but no thanks. This wolf has had enough bodyguard duties to last a lifetime." He picked his bowl back up and almost restarted eating before he noticed the elder mammal's hunching over in laughter. "What?"
"Apologies, I mean no offense! It is just that I find the idea of you disassociating from the profession of your family bemusing."
Wasn't that just the nice way of calling his choice stupid? Zhong knew his options outside of bodyguarding were limited at best, but after such a near-fatal fiasco, continuing with the profession felt like tempting fate. Not that the wolf did expected this old crone to understand. After all, what right did someone who wasted all day reading the future instead of living it have to dictate his life decisions?
The wolf huffed without comment and returned to his food.
"All the same, what do you intend to do with yourself instead?"
Zhong shrugged at the question. "A bounty hunter, I guess." When the Soothsayer chuckled at that, his hackles raised. "What now?!"
"Come now, you were once part of the royal guard and Shen's closest bodyguard even during his exile. Do you genuinely believe you would be content with such a path?" While her tone of voice possessed neither mockery nor malice, it held a motherly teasing that left Zhong feeling too much like a cub.
"Why not? I've got the ruthlessness for it!" The wolf even snarled right in the old woman's face to prove his point. Not that he intended to hurt her, not that that mattered either on account of how unimpressed she looked. He was starting to see who taught Shen all those dry looks.
"Can that ruthlessness work without being in service to someone else though?" Zhong opened his mouth to retort but she beat him to the punch. "To one and only one person or cause, that is?"
Damn, she got him there. The wolf looked away with a grunt. "I've been a wanderer before."
"But never by yourself. You are a wolf, Zhong, and had been a loyal guard and commander beside for years. Don't try to convince me the loner's life suddenly suits you."
"I could make it work." Zhong hated how unsure and small his voice sounded. He downed the rest of his food to avoided having to answer.
At this point, the Soothsayer's face softened into one of pity. "But would you want it?"
After one last swallow, Zhong went silent and nervous, cornered by both the question and the bowl now devoid of excuses. He could feel the old woman's knowing smirk.
The wolf huffed in frustration as he set the bowl down, crossed his arms and tore his gaze away again. As much as he'd rather not admit this truth, the Soothsayer had a point: the wolf had no idea what to do with himself after everything. His misdeeds under Shen sealed his banishment from Gongmen City, and that didn't even consider the already negative reputation of wolves in general. Plus, as far as anyone knew, he died, so he'd be best off using that assumption to his advantage to avoid hassle.
In short, tough luck. The wolf ran a hand through his short mohawk in frustration. What the hell could he do with himself now?
"May I make a suggestion?" the Soothsayer spoke up. She waited until the canine looked up at her before continuing. "The Valley of Peace may have an opening you could fill somewhere thanks to your qualifications."
Valley of Peace? Zhong mused as he furrowed his brow in wonder. Why does that sound familiar?
"I am certain the Dragon Warrior would be more than willing to assist you on that front."
OK, never mind. Now the name sounded familiar and, uh, hell no. The utter refusal on his face could not be more palpable.
True to form, the Soothsayer read him like a book. "After all, he proved the most vocal in his support of me seeing to your recovery after they fished you out of the water."
Wait what? Zhong blinked while his brain caught up with this bit of news. Once it did, he gawked and stuttered in an utter loss for words.
The panda, really? Even after everything the peacock did to him? After everything Zhong did to him? Either the panda was foolish or just that big-hearted. Oh, who did Zhong intend to kid? It had to be both.
"He…did?" The elder woman nodded, and the wolf could only emit a dumbstruck 'huh'. His eyes drifted to the lazily drifting waters of the river that could have claimed him if not for one bear's compassion. Eventually, his eyes redirected themselves back to the goat. "Let's say I agree to letting that panda help me. For all I know, he's the only one willing to vouch for me. How do you know he hasn't been outvoted on this?"
After all, Zhong was no fool to believe he'd made a good impression on the Furious Five and their master.
"The universe did not designate him as Dragon Warrior for nothing. You've seen for yourself more than once his tenacity for what he believes in." The goat cocked her head, eyes searching in the wolf's single red one for an answer she already knew to be there. "Would it not be nice to have that quality working in your favor for a change?"
For a change.
Zhong let his eyes drift down to his empty bowl, his mind to the panda.
That goofy grin, those dorkish comebacks.
Those stalwart eyes as he faced down a whole armada of ships, the sheer confidence as he utterly decimated that armada.
And while Zhong himself had drifted in the water and in and out of consciousness, those soft and empathetic eyes, the words of wisdom and mercy the bear hoped to ingrain into Shen.
The only thing that matters is what you choose to be now.
Words that went unheeded – though perhaps not by all.
Not to say these words promised a smooth or easy journey. Zhong would no doubt face the test of his life by going down this path, but as thoughts of that warm friendly smile and welcoming jade eyes filled his mind, doubts slipped away like sand through a sieve.
Wasn't hardship half the point of change, and what soldier would he be to shy away when things got tough? If not for his own sake, then at least for the honor and memory of his troops, why not take a chance?
The former commander gazed back at the Soothsayer and sat up straight at attention. "When's the nearest carriage to the Valley of Peace?"
He had already stopped following Shen's example. Why not make it a habit?
